Provo police chief calls for expanded Medicaid to help crime


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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah police chief is calling on state lawmakers to accept federal funding to expand Medicaid as a way to fight crime.

Provo Police Chief John King says that if more people had health insurance, they could get treatment for addiction or mental illnesses, things that can factor into crime or make crime more likely to turn violent. He adds that helping those with a low quality of life can reduce the risk of criminal behavior.

The Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health reports that 120,724 Utah residents are living with substance-abuse disorders without receiving the needed services.

The Daily Herald (http://bit.ly/1K2Tmyv) reported that King said expanded health care will reduce deaths from external causes and lessen child abuse and neglect.

King, Wasatch Mental Health Dr. Juergen Korbanka and a representative from the anti-crime organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids held a press conference Tuesday to discuss the issue. The organization released a report stating that 1,200 deaths in the state each year due to car accidents, drug overdoses, suicides and homicide are preventable with treatment of substance abuse and behavioral disorders, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank told the Tribune that, "Expansion of mental health treatment in any arena helps to reduce criminal activity and recidivism."

Gov. Gary Herbert, the Senate and House Democrats are supporting a plan the governor's office has negotiated with the federal government to use a chunk of federal money to enroll thousands of Utah's poor in private health insurance. House Republicans have rejected the idea, arguing the federal money offered under President Barack Obama's signature health care law may not be available down the road.

The legislative session ended without an agreement on Medicaid expansion. State senators were supporting a Medicaid plan proposed by the governor that would cost $25 million for two years. But lawmakers in the House of Representatives have instead put forward their own plan, which would cost about $32 million a year.

With the House and Senate at impasse, Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said he would consider calling a special session to address the issue later this year.

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Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldextra.com

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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